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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — a thing
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. ball — a great time
  5. stock — shares
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. kid — child
  8. court — for sport
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. ball — a dance
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. shower — rain
  14. kid — to tease
  15. court — of a king
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. court — of law
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. stock — goods
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. shower — to wash
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — to bear
  24. object — to protest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com